Chapter 2 - Ghosts of the Past
"Is this true, Marco?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, though the rage beneath it promised murder.
Marco Benedetti stood behind me, his face pale in the warm candlelight. He had been my right hand for a decade, but as I turned to look at him, I saw the tiny shift in his jaw—the subtle, guilty posture of a man who knew more than he had ever admitted.
"Dominic..." Marco stammered, his hand lifting defensively. "Your father... Old Man Valenti gave the order before he died. He said the family couldn't afford a weak union with the De Luca allies. Lorenzo handled the details with the doctors. I... I was only told to keep my mouth shut or be put in the ground beside her."
I didn't draw my gun. I didn't yell. I simply stepped toward Marco, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the marble pillar near table nine.
The sound echoed like a gunshot through the empty restaurant.
"My father is dead," I growled into Marco's ear, my grip tightening until his face turned purple. "Lorenzo has been whispering in my ear for five years, pushing me to take more territory, pushing me to marry his sister to 'secure the bloodline.' And you let me sign those papers. You let me destroy my wife."
"Dominic, stop," Elena’s calm voice cut through my rage. "Not in front of Mia."
I looked over my shoulder. Little Mia was staring at me, her dark, gold-flecked eyes wide, clutching Elena's dress.
Slowly, I released Marco. He collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, gasping for air.
"Get out," I told Marco without looking back at him. "Go to the estate. Tell Lorenzo I am coming home. Tell him to gather the capos."
Marco didn't hesitate. He scrambled to his feet and rushed out into the pouring rain, leaving the heavy glass doors swinging behind him.
Matteo De Luca stepped forward, folding his arms across his chest. "Lorenzo knows Elena is in the city, Dominic. He found out three days ago that Mia exists. He knows that if your capos find out you have a legitimate, living heir—a daughter who carries the true Valenti blood—his claim to the family empire vanishes."
A cold realization settled over me. "The federal judge... Whitmore. The meeting tonight."
"It was a setup," Matteo said plainly. "Whitmore didn't call twice to check security for you. He was leaking your location to Lorenzo’s hit squad. They aren't coming to meet you, Dominic. They're coming to kill all of us—and erase the proof of Lorenzo’s treason forever."
May you like
Before the last word left Matteo’s mouth, the high-pitched screech of tires echoed from the street outside.
Two dark SUVs mounted the curb directly in front of Serafina’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
